Ben Jones

The headline achievements are hard to ignore. Jones has won 20 top-level races in his career — the kind of races that define a jockey's reputation — at some of the most prestigious venues in the country. Kempton Park, Ascot, Cheltenham. In January and February 2026 alone, he picked up three of those top-level victories, including two at Ascot and one at Cheltenham. Winning at Cheltenham is what separates the good from the great; the track is famously unforgiving, its undulating course exposing any weakness in horse or rider. The fact that Jones has collected big-race wins there says everything about how far he has come.

His most productive working relationship is with trainer Ben Pauling, a partnership that has produced 60 wins from 311 races together — again, roughly 1 in every 5. That consistency across more than 300 races is not luck; it suggests a genuine understanding between rider and yard, the kind built through trust and repetition. When Pauling saddles a horse and puts Jones on top, both sides know what to expect from each other.

Look a little closer and a couple of interesting patterns emerge. On fast, dry ground Jones has won 2 of just 4 races — that is a 50% record, remarkable by any standard, and a stat to note when the sun has been out. At Windsor, too, he has something of a gift, winning 3 times from just 6 rides there. Small samples, yes, but the kind of numbers that make a shrewd follower of the sport sit up straight.

At just four years into his career, Jones has already assembled a CV that many jockeys twice his experience would envy. The big-race wins are stacking up, the numbers are consistent, and the best trainers are clearly taking notice. The next few years are going to be very interesting.